Facing up
by Bl4ckHunter
Summary: One-shot story. How any of Oliver's love interests would react after finding out about William?


**An idea that hit me after re-watching Season 4 of _Arrow_ for research purposes, showing how any of Oliver's love interests (Laurel, Sara, Felicity) would react after finding out about William.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _DC Comics_ or the CW TV shows _Arrow_, _The Flash_, _Legends of Tomorrow_, _Supergirl _or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.**

* * *

Samantha was reading the newspapers on the front porch while her son was playing with the action figures before she noticed Oliver standing in front of the house, seething, on his face pure anger as she ordered William to go inside while realizing that Oliver _knew_.

"Can we talk?"

"I don't know what are you trying to accomplish here, Oliver…"

"I _know_, Samantha." Oliver said bluntly and Samantha paled. "I know that William is my son."

"OK…"

"Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded with a forced calm tone.

"Just keep your voice down." Samantha implored. "Your mother told me _not_ to."

"_What_?" Oliver asked, anger burning up slowly.

"Your mother offered me a million dollars if I told you that I miscarried." She explained.

"My mother was a complicated person but she would never do that." Oliver said in denial.

Samantha let Oliver in as he saw the photos of her and William happy before she handed him an uncashed check signed by Moira Queen. "I never cashed it. I didn't need her money to know I didn't want her anywhere near my child."

"Or me." Oliver realized, his heart being stabbed by an icy dagger.

"So what, he could be just like his dad? Punching out paparazzi and getting young girls knocked up?" Samantha argued, walking into the kitchen.

"Samantha, I'm not that person anymore." Oliver reasoned.

"I know." She nodded as she closed the fridge. "You're running for mayor, your mother was killed, your friend Tommy. But can you really tell me that your life is any less crazy? Can you honestly tell me William isn't better off with your world kept away from his?"

"No, you're right. I'm being selfish." He admitted. "But I want to know my son and I think a young boy deserves to know his father."

"He's happy, he's well adjusted. I don't want to risk that he will get sucked into your orbit." Samantha noted as she put the dishes into the sink. "That means he can't know you're his father. And no one else can either. I don't care if that sounds harsh, I'm his mother and I will do whatever I feel I have to do to protect him."

"I understand that." Oliver nodded. "But… there is someone that I care about and we haven't been on best of terms lately and we're both trying to start over. Please, don't ask me to lie to her or my sister of all the people. I've hurt them both far too much and if I keep _this secret _away from them… I'm afraid I might lose them both forever this time if they ever learn that I lied to them."

Samantha stared at him, seeing the guilt and pain on his face as she sighed, not wanting to force him to lie to his family and to his current girlfriend also feeling guilt due to cheating on Laurel. "Alright. You may tell them both. But no one else, please."

* * *

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Thea asked as she, Laurel and Oliver were talking privately in the room.

"There's… no easy way to get it out." Oliver admitted. "I… I have a son."

"You… WHAT?" Thea exclaimed, her eyes widening to size of table tennis balls as Laurel just gasped, widening her mouth.

"I… Just let me explain, please." Oliver raised his hand before it clicked for Laurel.

"Wait, that boy that we saw with Samantha the other day…"

Oliver nodded. "Around ten years ago, we had a fallout, if you remember." He turned to Laurel who nodded. "I… I don't remember much but after that, I spent the whole night at one party and I drank… a lot… and…" He took a breath. "The next thing I remember was waking up in bed with Samantha."

Thea blinked. "You…"

Oliver nodded. "Of course, when she told me, I freaked out and told Mom. Not long after that, Samantha told me she lost the baby. I haven't seen her since then… until a couple of days ago and it didn't take long for me to put it together that Mom had paid Samantha off to lie to me about our son."

"That's why you were acting weird yesterday." Laurel realized. "You talked to her, did you?"

"She told me that I could get to know William if I didn't tell anyone, otherwise…"

"You'd never see him again." Thea realized too.

"And in hindsight, he's been better off without being too deep in my life." Oliver noted and Laurel and Thea nodded, conceding his point. "But I made a compromise that I wasn't going to lie to you two anymore. I understand if you're mad…"

"For lying?" Thea asked rhetorically.

"For cheating on me?" Laurel added. "I wish I could say 'no' but…" She took a breath. "That's not who you are anymore. Look, I'm not gonna lie, I might never get past the fact that you cheated on me but… you once told me that we should at least try to start over. Look, Ollie, I can't make any promises but I'll try, for all of our sakes."

* * *

"You slept with Samantha Clayton?" Sara repeated, surprised, to say the least. "Hmm. Honestly, I didn't expect that you'd cheat on Laurel with anyone else but me."

"In my defense, I was young and drunk stupid kid." Oliver said and Sara winced and blushed, knowing that was exactly what she was, when she went with Oliver on the Gambit. "Look, Sara…"

"I'm not angry, Ollie, it's just… it's just hard to process, that's all." Sara said after a moment.

"What happens now?" Oliver asked as Sara took a breath.

"Ollie, honestly… look, I've already given up on us both once and it's not something I want to repeat again but this… I think I'm gonna need some time to take it in." Sara said. "Frankly, it may be best for both of us to take a break and sort this out, once we can gather our thoughts."

Oliver nodded as Sara left.

* * *

"You… have a son?" Felicity repeated slowly after Oliver told her. "How long have you…"

"I found out yesterday." Oliver said.

"And you're telling me just now?!" Felicity snapped.

"Excuse me if I needed some time to process things on my own, especially when I found out that Mom had robbed me of nine years of my son's own life! Can you blame me for trying to let it all sink in?!" Oliver exploded and Felicity was silent as she winced.

"Sorry." Felicity said apologetically and blushed, realizing she had crossed a line and Oliver took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"I get that you're angry but you should understand that things aren't as simple and black and white as you want them to be. If that's how you believe things should be, like when you freaked out on me because I had invited your Mom or like with Merlyn ten months ago, then this isn't going to work out between us." Oliver sneered and Felicity had the decency to look ashamed.

"I'm sorry. I overreacted." Felicity said as Oliver took a breath and nodded, understanding. "But, honestly, you getting someone pregnant in your playboy days, that's quite difficult to process, even for me."

Oliver nodded. "Look, you have every right to be upset but if you can't see that not everything is at your control, then we have nothing else to talk about. I care about you but you need to realize that you can't be involved in every aspect of my life or anyone else's."

"What happens now?" Felicity asked as Oliver turned around and sighed deeply.

"That's up to you. But if you react like this again, it's over. I have far too much self-respect to let you treat me like that." Oliver said bluntly, leaving Felicity alone to reflect on her own thoughts.

* * *

**Frankly, I never liked how Samantha had stick up her ass, when Oliver confronted her regarding William and basically forcing him to lie to keep him a secret from everyone, his own girlfriend included, since that was mainly to make her unlikable and Felicity an angel in comparison and don't get me started on how infuriating was Felicity flipping out on Oliver, once she found out and thinking she had a right to have say in William's life when she called off the engagement and accused Oliver of unworthy of trust, when she herself had kept secret that she had helped Ray build the Atom suit and didn't come clean about it until Ray wanted to take Oliver in or faking Roy's death or aiding Team Arrow behind Oliver's back in between Seasons 3-4, which was very hypocritical from her. I tried to portray Felicity more closer to her Season 6-7 portrayal, where her tantrums were more understandable.**

**So, what do you guys think?**

**Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed this one-shot.**

**With regards**

**_Bl4ckHunter_**


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